[NTLUG:Discuss] What is going on with the new location for the May meeting

[Leroy Tennison]

(For those used to top posting, see the bottom of thids thread).

On 05/08/2014 02:00 AM, Ralph Green wrote:
> Howdy,
>    It gets even more interesting, and I think in a good way.  Four
> minutes after I sent out the note about a new location for the May
> meeting, I got a note about a local company offering us another
> meeting location.  Stuart Yarus and I visited them today and I
> volunteered to write up what we found and some background.
>
> Background,
>
>    It should be obvious to anyone that we are not getting the amount of
> participation that we used to.  There are multiple reasons for this
> and a bunch of us have been talking about what we can do about it. The
> LBJ construction may have discouraged some members.  I have heard some
> comments about the dues we pay to NTPCUG keeping some members away.
> It may be that Linux is getting too mainstream and people don't need a
> group to keep them going. It is probably other things too, and I'd
> like to hear about them to see if we can fix something.  I have been
> told I am too strident about using only free software and I have
> scared members away.  Is that true?
>
>   After the last DFWUUG group meeting, I was asked if I could get us a
> room at Dallas Makerspace to try out.  All the people asking me were
> members of NYLUG.  This is not a cabal to take over NTLUG.  You have
> seen that DMS was happy to host us  We want to see how many people
> show up and what NTLUG members think about the location.  DMS will not
> charge us anything to use a room and we could probably permanently
> move there.  About the only negative thing I'll say about DMS is that
> parking in not great at the present location.  Sometime this summer,
> DMS is moving near Valwood and I35 and parking will get better.
>
> Future plans
>
>    XOP Networks is the local, Linux using company that contacted us
> about meeting in their facility.  I'd like us to consider meeting
> there for our June 21, 2014 meeting.    Unlike the request to try DMS,
> only Stuart and I have talked about it and we did not feel that we
> should decide for the group.  The company has the 3rd floor of the
> building at 17290 Preston Road, which is just north of Campbell Rd.
> The facilities are nice and sufficient for our needs.  I did not take
> pictures because it was still under construction.  XOP will not charge
> us anything.  There is plenty of free parking in 2 basement lots.  We
> would need to change the schedule a bit.  We would have the main
> meeting from 11 AM to 1 PM(same as now) and the LIP would now run
> during and after that.  Another group meets there until 10:30 AM on
> Saturdays.  What do you think of that location?  Would you come to a
> meeting there?  Should we schedule it for June?  Ask questions about
> the facility, if you have them.  I thought this note was getting a bit
> long and I cut out all but the basics.
>
>    We may keep meeting at King of Glory.  We may move.  That decision
> will be up to the membership.  Get on the Discuss list and tell others
> what you think.  Is it a good idea to move?  What else do we need to
> do?  No personal attacks on the list, please.   If we stay at KOG for
> June, the meeting will be on June 28.  At XOP, it will be June 21.
>
>   If you reply to this email, and I hope you will, please be kind and
> trim.  We don't need a bunch of copies of this long email with just a
> single line of response.  That makes the discussion hard to follow.
> Have a good day,
> Ralph Green
> VP, NTLUG
>
> _______________________________________________
> http://www.ntlug.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>
Why I stopped coming:

 1. I simply I got busy (got married, got a house ready for sale, sold
    it, bought another needing a fair amount of fix up, getting involved
    in a much larger immediate family, a severe auto accident along the
    way - you get the picture).
 2. Second, I now live in Lewisville and it is a bit of a drive.
 3. Dues, although not a big issue, weren't a positive.  However, facing
    a possible layoff, conserving money would be nice.
 4. More important, I feel we may have lost some of our distinctiveness
    and identity by being just another SIG in a larger group.
 5. Finally, it's hard to beat the previous facilities and the change
    may have been somewhat of a disappointment.  I don't want to knock
    KOG, it's a nice facility and I appreciate they're being open to
    hosting NTPCUG.  However, something about a basement room with no
    windows isn't as attractive.

Although Linux may be becoming more mainstream, I'm not at all convinced 
that it's become so mainstream that people don't need a group.  Although 
Ubuntu may have attracted a less technical audience, if you want more 
than an end user GUI experience then there's plenty of value in a user 
group.  And, given the state of documentation for some of the GUI (KDE 4 
comes to mind, a second is Libre/Open Office if you get beyond the 
basics), even the "GUI group" could use some help.  Searching the web 
for answers is a hit and miss proposition, I've done that in vain only 
to post a question to this group and get an outstanding answer.  
Unfortunately, we are fighting a trend, NTPCUG used to be roughly a 
thousand (possibly more) strong, a quick look around KOG any meeting day 
says volumes. One somewhat ironic reason for my reduced involvement is 
actually a complement to the group - I learned enough along the way to 
become far more self-sufficient with it!

Your comment about being too strident about free software raised my 
curiosity, where's this coming from - the Windows crowd at NTPCUG? 
Admittedly that's a different mindset (either pay or steal your way to 
what you need).  I guess it's possible to be too strident about anything 
but we are focused on Linux and a major feature is that it's free.  
Unless the tone has gotten awfully negative I don't see an issue.

I hope the group will consider both new locations, I might actually be 
able to make it and, since my membership in NTPCUG lapsed some time ago, 
it would be nice to not face funny looks and possibly frowns if I do come.